Chapter 19 Power Cord As Long as She Doesn't Die
The night Zheng Yi left, Jiang Hao seemed to still be staying at Xiang Li's place, because after returning home, he found that Jiujiu had vomited, with undigested cat food mixed with cat hair.
"Jiujiu!" Jiang Hao was startled and quickly took a tissue to wipe it.
Xiang Li took a look at the situation and said, "It probably ate too hastily, or swallowed too much while licking its fur. Let's observe it for a while."
But over the next hour, Jiujiu vomited twice more. Although the amount wasn't large, he was clearly exhausted and lay there, unwilling to move. Both of them felt heartbroken, and regardless of the late hour, they insisted on taking him to the emergency room. Xiang Li picked up the car keys and said, "Let's go."
At the pet hospital, the doctor examined Jiujiu, took his temperature, and diagnosed him with mild gastroenteritis, which was not a serious problem. He prescribed some medicine.
"Go home and fast without food or water for a few hours. Just give him a small amount of easily digestible food and medicine tomorrow morning. Pay close attention to your condition. If he continues to vomit or is in a particularly bad mood, come back at any time." The doctor advised.
Carrying the still listless Jiujiu back home, Xiang Li looked at Jiang Haoxiang with a worried look on his face and said, "Don't go back to the school dormitory tonight. Sleep here."
Jiang Hao wanted to nod. She was indeed worried, and wanted to take care of Jiujiu in case something happened that night.
Lying on the bed in the room, Jiang Haoxiang was not sleepy at all.
Jiujiu curled up in the corner of the bed, feeling a little more comfortable. Jiujiu is now an old cat and still snores when sleeping. Zheng Yi always laughs at it and asks Jiang Haoxiang to record a video of Jiujiu snoring for him. He also asks Jiang Haoxiang to turn the microphone towards him when they have a video call, just to make fun of Jiujiu, which makes Jiang Haoxiang laugh so hard that she gets angry with him.
Jiang Haoxiang was very scared. Jiujiu was going to be eleven years old. She needed to be prepared for Jiujiu to leave her at any time, but she was not ready at all. She stood up and took out a book from the bookshelf. When Jiujiu was young, Jiang Haoxiang would tell her a bedtime story every night. Zheng Yi would listen through the wall, pound the wall, and say good night to her. Zheng Yi bought her many storybooks. She took out one of them and opened it. It was "The Prince in Distress".
A sentimental prince lost everything in a war and had to beg for a living. When people heard his story, they lamented that they could not endure such a tragic experience. The prince said, "Any disaster in the world, no matter who it falls on, must be endured by everyone, and everyone can endure it, as long as he survives.
As long as she doesn't die.
The room was very quiet, and Jiang Hao wanted to look at the electric fan covered by a cloth. She lifted the dusty cloth.
The plastic casing looked expensive in the moonlight, but it still couldn't compare to the value Jiang Haoxiang felt in her heart. The buttons were familiar. She found a socket in the corner and plugged the fan in. She pressed the button she'd pressed countless times, but nothing happened.
She tried other buttons and turned the knob. The fan didn't blow any air. It was broken.
Jiang Haoxiang maintained the squatting position, his hand still on the button, and stayed there, lost in thought for a long, long time.
Many images flashed through her mind. The sweaty, sweltering summer night; Zheng Yi, sweating profusely, appeared at the door carrying a fan, crouched on the ground studying it; the moment the first gust of wind blew her away. It had accompanied her through many difficult nights, carrying countless grievances and secrets that no one knew about. Now it was broken.
Zheng Yi’s university life can be summed up in one word: tiring.
Two words: very tired.
Three words: very tired.
He had never imagined that the architecture department would be such a hell. Theory courses, design principles, architectural history, structural mechanics... He felt like he was being slapped in the face every day, knocked unconscious, then slapped awake again, an overwhelming, endless stream. The endless drawing process: sketches, plans, construction drawings, renderings, computer graphics, hand drawings, model making.
This intensity is almost exceeding Jiang Haoxiang’s hellish senior year.
Zheng Yi found this unbelievable, but he did not regret it, not really, at least not very much.
Despite being extremely busy, he couldn't let go of his thoughts about Jiang Haoxiang. He was so obsessed with her that he lost himself in thought. His phone always had two different time zones, calculating whether Jiang Haoxiang was attending classes or finishing homework.
He would set the alarm, get up, and, despite the time difference, accompany Jiang Haoxiang as she worked through the night. He would usually have his voice chat on, listening to Jiang Haoxiang's voice while drawing pictures, occasionally asking, "Are you sleepy? Are you hungry? Do you have enough money? Has anyone bullied you lately? Is there anything happy?"
Zheng Yi wasn't entirely convinced. He'd already been following An Fengyang on various social media platforms. Weibo, a certain bookstore, gaming forums—anything he could find, he followed. Like someone working undercover, he'd check An Fengyang's feed every day, watching him share his daily photos and texts, fearing he'd find evidence of a sour relationship.
It's quite perverted. Zheng Yi admits it himself. He admits it, but continues to do it.
Only when he was sure that An Fengyang was calm could he feel at ease. Because Jiang Haoxiang hadn't posted anything for many years.
A girl from the same department confessed her love to him after a group collaboration. Zheng Yi's rudeness the night before had angered Jiang Hao, and after failing to appease him and being overwhelmed by a design deadline, he thought without hesitation, "Sorry, I don't like girls."
After Zheng Yi finished speaking, he was stunned, but the words had been spoken and he couldn't take them back.
What he wanted to say was "I don't want to be in a relationship right now" or "I have someone I like", but his brain short-circuited.
His classmates knew he frequently followed the social media updates of a certain Chinese boy, so they believed his words without a doubt. But this time, he had the real evidence. Word spread throughout the small Chinese community.
Then, two courageous boys came to express their affection for him. Zheng Yi looked at these boys, feeling surprised and understanding, as if it was just as it should be. He told himself with absolute certainty: I don't like boys either.
He was completely bewildered. Not completely. After eliminating all the wrong options, the only thing left was the truth.
After leaving you, I finally see things more clearly. Those bitterness, those disappointments, those fears, those panics, those discontents, those confusions, those moments of disorder all have the same name: love.
It turns out that I like you, Jiang Haoxiang. In fact, I should have discovered it a long time ago.
Zheng Yi sat in front of the blueprints and models, watching the sunset outside the window, and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally solved a problem that had troubled him for years.
All these emotions are because I like Jiang Haoxiang.
——
The workload was so heavy during his freshman year, and Zheng Yi had just started to adapt to life abroad, so he did not return home for the New Year.
The bridge holiday of my sophomore year stretched on for a long time, and Zheng Yi returned. Home was still warm, Jiujiu was still plump, and Xiang Li was still busy. Jiang Hao seemed to have stopped growing taller, settling at 1.7 meters. The academic pressure of her senior year had left her looking a little tired, but seeing her brother Zheng Yi still made her happy.
Although he was certain he loved Jiang Haoxiang, Zheng Yi had no plans to do anything right now. This was a critical period for Jiang Haoxiang, and he wasn't a reckless person. He wasn't in a rush. Furthermore, he wasn't sure of Jiang Haoxiang's feelings for him.
Zheng Yi learned from Xiang Li that Jiang Cheng had bought a new car and that his half-brother had been sent to the best and most expensive private elementary school in the city. And this year, Jiang Cheng and his family of three planned to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Japan.
"I really don't think I can go?" Zheng Yi asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. It's New Year's Day, and she's left alone?
Xiang Li said, "She said she needed to review and was short on time, so she didn't want to bother."
Zheng Yi didn't say anything. He could probably guess that it wasn't that she didn't want to make trouble, but that the family didn't give her the place she deserved.
He found Jiang Haoxiang and without asking any questions, he put his bank card in her hand and said, "The password is your birthday."
Jiang Hao wanted to refuse. Zheng Yi held her hand. He pressed it very hard, and Jiang Hao felt like she was reliving the panic she had felt when she heard the song "Seven-Li Fragrant Osmanthus" on the roadside. She was quite happy with it.
During his junior year, the architecture courses became exponentially more difficult. Structural calculations, parametric design, and the initial preparation for his graduation project. The complexity reached the point where he felt he wouldn't graduate, or his program would be extended. He was overwhelmed with panic, so stressed he sometimes forgot where he was. He didn't dare book a flight back home; he still hadn't finished his homework. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to muster the courage to face the mess.
Xiang Li also called, but what he said surprised him a little: "If you are too busy, don't come back. It's tiring to toss back and forth. I really want to avoid distracting her during this critical period of her senior year."
Although Zheng Yi felt it was a bit strange because Xiang Li had never interfered with whether he returned to China or not, he was tormented by his studies at the time and did not think much about it, just thinking that his mother was considerate.
What he didn't know was that Xiang Li on the other end of the phone put down his phone and continued to sleep in the ward.
The cause of the incident was Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng suddenly realized that the clothes and shoes Jiang Haoxiang was wearing, and the phone she was using, were not familiar to him and were not bought by him. He asked casually. Jiang Haoxiang did not hide it. After all, these things were expensive and it was impossible for her to buy them herself: "Zheng Yi bought them."
Jiang Cheng's face looked very ugly and embarrassed.
"Zheng Yi bought these? Why did he buy these for you?"
Jiang Haoxiang frowned: "He has always cared about me."
"Care? He's a man, how could he care about you so much? Why would he buy you such expensive things? Clothes, shoes, and now even a cell phone? Jiang Haoxiang, are you and Zheng Yi together?"
"No." Jiang Hao wanted to deny it, thinking he was unreasonable.
"No?" Jiang Cheng simply didn't believe it. His long-suppressed dissatisfaction and the strange feeling of being violated burst out at the same time. "He didn't buy so many things for you? You didn't run to Xiang Li's house every day? Don't think I don't know what Xiang Li is planning!"
This was extremely harsh. What was his plan? Xiang Li had taken care of her since she was little, spent money on her, raised a cat for her, and acted like a mother to her, taking care of her food, drink, and toilet. What was his plan?
Jiang Hao wanted to look directly at his father, which made Jiang Cheng feel inexplicably empty.
"He cares about me, so he bought it for me. Is that hard to understand?"
"He's a man, he's a man! Why does he care about you so much? Tell me honestly, are you and Zheng Yi in a relationship?"
In fact, he had thought about this speculation many times and had even asked Xiang Li directly. At this moment, he finally asked his daughter the question in a rather dirty tone.
Jiang Hao was so angry that he was shaking all over. "In your eyes, besides being in love, there can't be normal care and concern between men and women, right? Just like in your eyes, a father only needs to provide tuition and living expenses for his daughter, and that's enough, right?"
Jiang Cheng was choked, his anger growing even stronger. "Don't try to change the subject! I'm asking if you're dating Zheng Yi! Answer me directly. What's Xiang Li planning? Has she been waiting for this day, so her son can trick you into her, so she can legitimately interfere in our family affairs? Does she think I, Jiang Cheng's daughter, am so easy to manipulate that she's so eager to throw herself at me?!"
This statement completely crossed the bottom line.
Jiang Haoxiang suddenly took a step forward. She was already very tall, 1.7 meters, while Jiang Cheng was less than 1.8 meters tall. Jiang Haoxiang felt that she was almost eye-level with Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng looked at his daughter approaching and involuntarily took a step back. He couldn't help but think that Jiang Haoxiang now looked very much like Lin Ran. Her eyes were exactly the same as Lin Ran's. It felt like Lin Ran was looking at him at this moment, and Jiang Cheng got goose bumps.
"Handle? Throw yourself away?" Jiang Hao wanted to enunciate each word. "Do you use these two words to describe me, to describe how good Aunt Xiang Li and Brother Zheng Yi have been to me over the years? From the time I moved to that room without air conditioning at the age of six, from the time Mimi was abandoned, from the time Aunt Xiang Li was the only one who took me to the hospital when I had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius, it has always been them who cared for me, looked after me, believed in me when I was wronged, and found me when I ran away from home. What about you? Besides indiscriminately accusing me when your son and I clashed, what else have you given me? I've just been too lazy to say it. Do you really think I understand nothing? Now that you see someone treating me well, someone who remembers what I like and what I need, instead of reflecting on how much of a failure you've been as a father, you're using the most filthy thoughts to speculate about them?"
Jiang Cheng was forced to take another step back by Jiang Haoxiang's questioning. He roared fiercely, "I'm your father! I don't need you to teach me how to do things! If I say no, it means no! From today on, you are not allowed to go to the Xiang Li family again! You are not allowed to have any contact with Zheng Yi! You must delete all his contact information in front of me right now!"
Jiang Haoxiang wanted to see him get so angry that he suddenly found it funny: "I won't delete it. You have no right to order me to do so."
Jiang Cheng was enraged and raised his hand——
"If you dare to hit me, just try it." Jiang Hao wanted to stand still, neither dodging nor avoiding.
Jiang Cheng looked at his daughter's eyes, which were exactly the same as Lin Ran's, and he couldn't bring himself to slap her. He even wondered if Jiang Hao was possessed by Lin Ran! She wasn't like this before!
Jiang Cheng couldn't win the argument with the sharp-tongued Jiang Haoxiang, so in a rage and humiliation, he called Xiang Li and asked her in a bad tone to come over immediately to explain the troubles in her family!
When Xiang Li arrived, he saw Jiang Haoxiang standing straight and Jiang Cheng's face livid. Xiang Li quickly grabbed Jiang Haoxiang's shoulders and pulled her into his arms, saying he would take her back to school. "Haoxiang, I'll take you back to school. Go back first. Jiang Cheng, Haoxiang is in her third year of high school now, don't go crazy in front of her!"
Seeing Xiang Li, Jiang Cheng found an outlet for his anger. Not only did he not let him leave, he also repeated the same obscenities he had just said, bringing up Xiang Li's question about whether he had made plans for Jiang Haoxiang, believing Xiang Li had ulterior motives. He pointed at Jiang Haoxiang, then at Xiang Li.
"Are you raising Jiang Haoxiang as a child bride? You're so eager to get involved in my family's affairs, deliberately trying to bewitch my daughter! Are you attracted to my money? Jiang Haoxiang has been led astray by you, she's defiant and lawless! What do you want to do? To take advantage of her later?! What do you think of my daughter? A child bride?"
These words were unbearable to hear, and Jiang Hao, who was standing next to him, felt so angry that he wanted to tremble all over.
Xiang Li was so angry that she almost had a heart attack on the spot. She looked at the man in front of her and felt unbelievable. Why did Lin Ran fall for you?
"Jiang Cheng!" Xiang Li interrupted him, "Watch your mouth. Using such dirty thoughts to speculate about a child, you don't feel disgusted, but I do! I've always been polite to you because you're Lin Ran's husband and Haoxiang's father. But now you're not only insulting me and my son, you're also insulting your own daughter! I don't want to argue with you. I'm sending Haoxiang back to school. She's in her third year of high school, and it's crucial."
Jiang Cheng was relentless and refused to let her go. "Xiang Li, you've got a good plan! You've asked your son to buy her a phone and clothes to win her over. So, are you waiting for her to get older so you can cling to her?"
"I said I don't want to argue with you now! I'll send Haoxiang to school, and we'll argue when I come back!" Xiang Li felt extremely tired.
"What are you going to brainwash her about on the way? What tricks are you going to teach her? What tricks are you going to let your son use on my daughter? I really didn't misjudge you. Lin Ran was also brainwashed by you, right? You really taught your son well!" Jiang Cheng refused to let him go.
"Zheng Yige really wants to buy things because he loves her like his own sister and can't bear to see her suffer any injustice! Unlike you, you don't even notice your own daughter wearing hand-me-down clothes and using a hand-me-down phone, yet you have the money to buy a new car, a new house, and send your son to a private school that costs hundreds of thousands of yuan a year. Child bride? Jiang Cheng, don't you feel sad when you use that term? In your eyes, your daughter is just a tool to be used in this kind of transaction?"
Xiang Li couldn't stand it any longer. Why did this fight have to happen? Did it have to be at this time and in this place? Couldn't the two adults just have the argument alone? She felt like she was going crazy! She wanted Jiang Hao to leave, so she pulled her arm and gestured for her to go to her room. She thought, anywhere is fine, but not here. How could they have such an unbearable conversation in front of the children?
But these words pierced Jiang Cheng's lungs and tore his face. He grabbed Jiang Haoxiang's other arm and said with great force, "Don't mention Lin Ran! It's none of your business to dictate my family's affairs! I have no right to decide how to treat my children! From today on, Jiang Haoxiang is not allowed to come to your house again! She is not allowed to accept anything from Zheng Yi! She must delete all contact information from Zheng Yi right now, in front of me!"
"I am not your property!" Jiang Haoxiang tried to shake Jiang Cheng's hand many times but couldn't get rid of it. Her movements became more and more violent. Xiang Li was afraid that she would get hurt, so he let go of his hand first. As a result, Jiang Haoxiang suddenly shook Jiang Cheng off with force, and then held Xiang Li's hand again.
"Who are you to control who I date? Who are you to decide who treats me well? Aunt Xiang Li and Brother Zheng Yi are more like my family than you, my father."
"Listen to this! Listen to this!" Jiang Cheng was so angry that he was shaking all over. He rushed over to pull the two women apart, then pushed Jiang Haoxiang aside. Pointing at Jiang Haoxiang, he said to Xiang Li, "This is what you get for instigating this! You've made this good child forget all his family!"
"We taught her the difference between right and wrong, and self-respect." Xiang Li refused to give in, furious. Since Hao Xiang wasn't afraid, then she wasn't either. It was just a falling out, wasn't it? Hao Xiang was so young, she had already made her stance clear. As an adult, she couldn't let a child down.
"You keep saying she's your daughter, but what long-term plans have you made for her? Where's her education fund? Does she have any property under her name? You've paved the way for your youngest son, but what about Jiang Haoxiang? Wait until she graduates from college and find someone for her to marry. Let her fend for herself? I didn't want to argue with you about this. Jiang Haoxiang is my biological daughter, and I don't want her to worry about any problems that I can avoid. But Jiang Cheng, what are you trying to do by making such a fuss now? Haoxiang is about to take the college entrance exam, which is the most critical time in her life! What if you suddenly remember that you not only have a son, but also a daughter? Are you going to show off your power as a father to control your daughter? You're ruining her!"
"I ruined her? I think you are the ones who want to ruin her!" Jiang Cheng lost control of his emotions and reached out to push Li.
Xiang Li was not the type to swallow his anger. He staggered after being pushed, and his anger rose. He pushed back with his backhand: "What are you doing!"
Jiang Cheng was furious, and when he saw Xiang Li dared to fight back, he pushed her even harder.
Xiang Li was wearing high heels and couldn't stand steadily, so she was pushed to the ground and her ankle hurt.
"Aunt Xiang Li!" Jiang Hao was so frightened that her heart almost stopped. She screamed and rushed over, tears welling up in her eyes. She supported Xiang Li and looked up at Jiang Cheng and cursed him. She was actually a little vicious, and she felt refreshed because of this viciousness: "Jiang Cheng, if anything happens to Aunt Xiang Li, I will not let you go. Why don't you just die?"
Jiang Cheng was a little frightened by his daughter, but he didn't want to lose face in front of Xiang Li, so he yelled, "You've got guts! If you have guts, don't spend another penny of my money!"
Jiang Hao wanted to ignore him completely. She only cared about whether Xiang Li was okay. She immediately called 911.
The scene was in chaos.
Xiang Li sat on the ground, his ankle aching. He thought Zheng Yi should not come back for the time being, as this was such a horrible thing. Sigh.
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The author has something to say: The story mentioned in the article is from Zhou Guoping's "The Prince in Trouble"
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